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With all the information available, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know whats legitimate and what isn't when it comes to exercising during pregnancy. As a certified prenatal yoga teacher and a mother of three, I am hyperaware of exercise safety while pregnant. I stayed within safety guidelines in my first pregnancy but I was defiantly quite liberal, still doing as much as safely possible. Round two, pregnant with twins, I became much more conservative though I still pushed the limits with what was safe for a twin pregnancy. Are you sensing a theme? I like to physically push the boundaries. That being said, take it from a woman who did her last headstand at almost 37 weeks pregnant with twins, just days before delivering them.... if I say something isn't safe, IT'S NOT SAFE, don't do it.

Number one rule, above all else, even if the "guidelines" and your doctor both say something is safe, if it hurts or doesn't feel good, DON'T DO IT.

Each trimester will bring it's own unique challenges that may worsen, change or even subside as pregnancy progresses. In some ways the first trimester is the most delicate despite there being very minimal if any visible changes to the mother's body.

In traditional Ashtanga yoga, all asana (the physical practice/poses of yoga) is to be completely avoided in the first trimester. This is because the fetus needs that time to securely lodge itself in the uterus without any bouncing or moving about and all the mother's energy should be going towards developing a secure, nourishing womb as well as growing the baby's major body parts and organs. If that sounds good to you then I 100% respect that choice to abstain from yoga and other exercise during the first trimester. I personally believe that a complete avoidance is unnecessary for most women but the extreme fatigue that comes in the first trimester should be respected and if a woman doesn't feel up for exercising, she shouldn't push herself to do much.

First Trimester (Conception through 12 weeks):

Most exercises and movements are still totally OK for a mother to preform in the first trimester. The first obvious thing that almost all mothers will recognize and discontinue is laying on the stomach. Once she can feel a certain fullness of the enlarging uterus as it expands and moves up out of the pelvis (normally around week 12 but it can be earlier or later), she should stop preforming any activity that puts pressure on the abdomen.

Less obvious things that should be avoided are:

Jumping due to the slight chance that the fetus could be dislodged. With something this critical, I always feel its better to be safe than sorry.

No heated yoga or exercising in hot temperatures over 80 degrees. It's OK to be outside or in a room warmer than that but exercising, which raises the body's temperature AND being in a heated environment is not safe for the baby. Too much heat can affect the neurological development of the fetus.

Pay attention and be gentle in twisting poses that could compress the belly. These are the poses where the torso twists towards a leg (closed twists)... Open twists are fine.

Second trimester (13-28 weeks):

The second trimester is normally when most mom's feel their best during pregnancy though for me this was only true in my twin pregnancy and I actually felt my best in the third trimester with my first baby. The energy that is drained in the first trimester returns as does the appetite and most women start to show a little. With that growing baby bump, mothers should be ware that her posture will start to subtly shift and there will be changes to her ability to balance. Blood vessels dilate and cause changes to to her blood pressure which can lead to light headedness or becoming dizzy when she stands too quickly.

Changes to her exercise routine include:

Cease ab exercises that target the rectus abdominis (six pack muscles) and obliques. If you're pregnant you do NOT need to be working out those ab muscles! Hate to break it to ya, but your flat tummy is gone for a while. Letting the abdomen muscles soften will benefit your pregnancy; let your baby grow and expand naturally. It's beautiful and healthy. If you need to have some humor about it, take it from my brother as he so eloquently puts it, "who needs a six pack when you can have a keg?"

Strengthening the transverse abdominis (TA) is encouraged. The TA creates something like a sling to support the weight of your baby bump and aids in pushing the baby out during labor.

If the mother did not discontinue jumping in the first trimester, now is the time to actually stop. No more jumping in yoga class from a forward told to chatturanga and back or in your HIIT workouts to a plank. Its too much sudden strain on the abdominals and lower back and can increase the chance of the mother developing diastasis recti which is a separating of the abs.

Widen the stance in deep forward folds to make room for belly and in other poses to create a more stable base for balance.

No more closed twists or compressions; only open twists where the torso opens up away from a leg or other body part.

If it still felt ok to lay on the belly at the end of the first trimester, discontinue now.

Inversions such as headstands and handstands are still OK as long as the mother had a strong inversion practice prior to getting pregnant and they still feel good now. I personally thought going upside-down felt great in both my pregnancies because it temporarily took the pressure out of my pelvis. If the mother decides to continue practicing them, she should strongly consider moving to the wall since each day the center of gravity changes.

No locked joints; knees and elbows should be soft with a slight bend.

Avoid hanging in the joints. This means don't sink into/hang in joints such as the hips in poses like lunges. The muscles should stay at least slightly engaged to create support since relaxin hormone makes the joints unstable and vulnerable in pregnancy.

If there is any discomfort in the front of the pubis, almost between the legs (the pubic symphysis) she should stop doing wide lunges or stretching poses. The sharp pain in the front could mean that the pubic symphysis is separating which is very difficult to repair later.

If laying on the back is uncomfortable, switch to being slightly propped up/reclined or to the side. This discomfort is due to the vena cava, a large vein, being compressed from the weight of the growing baby when the mother is laying on her back.

Fast, abrupt pranayama breathing such as Kaphalabhati or Bastrika should not be used.

Third Trimester (28 weeks- Birth):

The third trimester is when exercise modifications become the most personalized to accommodate the unique needs of the mother. All of the guidelines from the previous trimesters should continue being followed and she should be paying extra close attention to the individual needs of her body and even feedback from baby!

​Special considerations for the last trimester:

Avoid planking due to the weight of the belly putting strain on the lower back and the risk of abdominal separation (diastasis recti). Push ups can be done with the knees down; embrace the "girl pushups" ladies!

Deep forward/back bends and inversions should be avoided unless the mother has been practicing them during her whole pregnancy and they still feel good. My OB asked me to be very careful with inversions at the end of my twin pregnancy. He was concerned about the possible risk for a brain aneurism due to relaxed blood vessels and increased blood volume. He said that if I felt any heat or pressure in my face or head when I was inverted then I needed to stop. I never ended up feeling those warning sensations so I continued with caution although I did stop holding them for longer than just a few seconds. Once I was about 36 weeks pregnant I stopped (though I did one last one out of temptation just before my 37 week induction) because I wanted to encourage the babies do descend into my pelvis in preparation for labor. I wanted to keep all the energy flowing down!

Take extra care in back bends to avoid over stretching the abs or uneven compression of the spine.

No more laying flat on the back, the mother should be propped up at a 45 degree angle.

These guidelines are geared towards healthy, previously active mothers who are doing yoga and other bodyweight exercises during her pregnancy. Again, if anything feels "off" or hurts, please don't continue doing that exercise. Pregnancy is not the time to be pushing through the pain (except in labor!!!).

I was certified as a prenatal yoga teacher by Om Births, a prenatal yoga studio in the Boston area. They have hands down the best prenatal yoga and if you live in that area and are a pregnant mama, I highly recommend you attend some classes there. I am very knowledgeable about fitness and pregnancy, I have experienced two very healthy pregnancies and followed these guidelines but you should ALWAYS communicate with your doctor about the exercises you are doing during pregnancy.

I wish you all healthy, joyful pregnancies! It is an absolutely beautiful, magical time; not without it's aches and pains and stress but it is special none-the -less.